Vitamin D With Calcium Could Add Years to Your Life

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- In 2008, 39 million people in the U.S. were 65 or older. How much longer will they live? A new study could help them tack on a few more years!

It suggests that a specific combination of supplements can reduce the rate of mortality in seniors, therefore providing a possible means of increasing life expectancy. The study assessed mortality among patients randomized to either vitamin D alone or vitamin D with calcium.

In this study, researchers used pooled data from eight randomized controlled trials with more than 1,000 participants each. The patient data set was comprised of nearly 90 percent women, with a median age of 70 years. During the three-year study, death was reduced by 9 percent in those treated with vitamin D and calcium.

“Our research showed reduced mortality in elderly patients using vitamin D supplements in combination with calcium, but these results were not found in patients on vitamin D alone.” Lars Rejnmark, PhD, of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark was quoted saying.